Eastern Washington has three community colleges that offer either an associate degree or a certificate in welding technology. Columbia Basin Community College, founded in 1955, is located in Pasco, WA, and serves an average of 8,000 students. Spokane Community College offers more than 85 degrees and certificates, and has among the lowest tuition in Washington State with a high ratio of student aid. Walla Walla Community College has a current student enrollment of over 13,000, which has grown from 850 in 1967, and offers extension programs throughout the county, including one in the nearby state penitentiary.
Central Washington has two colleges that provide associate degrees or certifications in welding technology. Big Bend, founded in 1962 and located in the central Columbia Basin, is currently serving more than 5,400 students. Wenatchee Valley College, found midway between Seattle and Spokane, serves the north-central Washington area and assists more than 8,400 students toward their educational goals.
Bates Technical College, the largest technical college in Washington, is located in Tacoma, WA, with more than 13,000 enrolling in its degree or certificate programs. Bellingham Technical College is located about 90 miles north of Seattle, WA, and was Washington's first "Industrial School" founded in 1911 and now serves more than 8,100 students. Renton Technical College, opened more than 65 years ago, focuses on training students for careers in the information, service and health technology industries. Clover Park Technical College has a history of offering professional and technical education dating back to the 1940s and is found in Lakewood, WA. Many other community colleges in this area also offer degree and certification education in the area of welding technology.
Some of Washington's longest standing colleges are located in southwestern Washington. Centralia College, founded in 1925, is located south of Olympia along the Interstate 5 corridor and serves more than 10,000 students. Clark College, beginning in 1933, has continued to serve the Vancouver, WA, area for more than 75 years. Grays Harbor College, near the coast of Washington, was established in 1930. Lower Columbia College was established in 1934 and is in Longview, WA; it serves more than 4,000 students each year. Olympic College in Bremerton, WA, founded more than 60 years ago, teaches more than 12,000 students each year and has just finished constructing a new science and technology building.